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Nobody seems to know that for a period early in the last century, alcohol WAS against the law. It was called PROHIBITION. They eventually repealed it because IT DIDN'T WORK. It caused the expansion of organized crime. Don't they teach you kids any history anymore?
I read that report in the local paper. And I agree alcohol can destroy lives and health if abused.
But there was another report a few weeks ago that one or two drinks a day can actualy be beneficial to a persons health if there aren't already problems that alcohol would contribute to making worse.
All things in moderation.
I would agree with you, except and WHEN it dips into my pocket book, to pay for some alcoholic and/or drug addicts health care. Do you realize how much tax payer dollar is used to pay for the effects of alcohol? The law enforcement costs for persons under the influence of alcohol? Let us not even venture into the realm of illegal drugs.
In fact, why do you think the UK came out with this study? Because of the insane amounts of money used by the NHS, in the treatment of alcohol and drug related illnesses and other problems.
Now, if you want to say let people turn their brains into mush and let them suffer and die, in their own homes, and scrape the body up off the ground, ok. But you don't want too do that; therefore, it does become a governmental problem. And, unfortunately, a societal problem.
For the 15th time.
The government spends more of your money on enforcement then it ever would on drug treatment.
Think of it this way. The government has to police everybody, and spend money to do just that. Even folks like me, who have a great middle class job, raises their children responsibly (my son is getting all A's in school, and is on the honor roll), and smokes a little something in the privacy of their own home, and would never go to drug treatment, they spend money on putting folks like me in jail.
Treatment is only focused on those that want it, or need it. A small percentage of the population, maybe 5%.
So keep spending money on enforcement of 100% of us, or treat 5% of us? You tell me whats cheaper?
i wonder if this study took into account the increased crime rates from thefts and burglaries when the drug addicts have to steal to support their habit?
unless you want to put the government in charge of free drug distribution, that's going to be a factor.
Location: In a Galaxy far, far away called Germany
4,300 posts, read 4,408,318 times
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Stupid news article. Prohibition only gave fuel to the organized crime - just like keeping pot illegal does. We can't win the war on drugs - like we couldn't win it against alcohol. Legalize, tax, and regulate. This method has brought tobacco use to its lowest use since . . . FOREVER. Fight the war smarter, not harder.
Drug experts say alcohol worse than crack or heroin - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101101/ts_nm/us_drugs_alcohol - broken link)
LONDON (Reuters) – Alcohol is a more dangerous drug than both crack and heroin when the combined harms to the user and to others are assessed, British scientists said Monday.
We outlaw other drugs because they are "dangerous" and "addictive", yet alcohol is legal. We tried prohibition once, it didn't work.
Alcohol is widely accepted, yet its now shown to be one of, if not the worst drug on the planet.
Should we outlaw it? Should we legalize other drugs that are less harmful to people?
Ahhhhhhhh we tried that one a few decades ago. It did not work out very well then....no reason why it would now.
Yes, alcohol is extremely dangerous and ruins lives with alcoholism, car accidents, etc.
A LOT of drugs are far less harmful and even have positive benefits...marijuana, LSD, mushrooms. None of those drugs are addictive, and the amount you would have to take to seriously harm your body is so ridiculous it's not worth talking about.
The problem is this is not a scientific or rational debate, it's cultural. The people from "are (not "our") country" (low education, working-class, religious) do not have pot, shrooms, or LSD as part of their culture, and so they demonize it as part of the "other" group's way of life. Most of these people still drink like fish, of course.
Cars kill lots of people, let's make them illegal.
Lots of kids get killed on bikes, let's make them illegal.
More people have accidents in bathtubs than anywhere else in the home, let's make them illegal.
Many people choke to death every year, let's outlaw food.
Many people drown every year, let's get rid of the water.
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